Today I'd like to address the recent developments in our lovely fantasy hobby. Just something I've been thinking about lately.
Firstly, the new line of plastic characters. So far, we have seen eight of them and I must say I like where this is going. GW is clearly trying to fill the void (the Chaos sorcerers, the dark elf sorceress, the necromancer) and/or give an alternative to metal models that haven't been Finecast yet (the saurus hero, the Nurgle champion, the banshee). I repeat, I really, really like the direction in which this has been going - plastic, multi-part characters are definitely something I wanted to see for a long time. I hope we will see more of these in the months to come.
Secondly, Finecast. I won't comment on the quality of these, since I haven't yet had the dis/pleasure, but again, I think it to be a step in a very right direction, and not only in terms of material price. My main concern with metal models was the paint chipping and weight. Resin solves both of these problems. It is also much easier to work with as far as preparation is concerned and of course holds detail much better than white metal. I sincerely hope the thick blades, oversized hands and the like are behind us. What GW screwed with Finecast is a very, very lousy time management: they launched it at the very same time of their annual price rise, making most hobbyists believe Finecast is a money-making scheme and nothing more. This was a major blunder on GW's part and would provide much fuel for the haters' furnace if they ever needed any.
Thirdly, Warhammer Forge. All I can say here is "finally". It's about time Warhammer Fantasy ceased to be treated like a 40k offshoot (the joke on top of that being it's just the other way around) and got its proper treatment by Forge World. Aside form the Chaos dwarves I can't say I'm a fan of what they have made so far, but I can see great potential here.
Lastly, the "Mail-Order-Onlies" and the forgotten ones. I'm talking about Dogs of War here, for instance. We have seen a return to White Dwarf being a truly useful hobby magazine and less of a catalog. I'd really like to see an official DoW list published in WD, updated to the 8th edition ruleset, and the entire range brought back. I know there are several regiments to buy from the GW site, but what about Mydas the Mean? The Albion giants? Birdmen of Catrazza? Bronzino's Galloper Guns? Seeing them in resin and available to buy is possibly my greatest hobby dream now. You have the molds, GW. You have the material and as of now some experience in using it. You have the customer demand. Please make it happen.
Right. Done rambling. See you on Wednesday.
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